Hagel Downgrades Drone Operators’ Medal to ‘Device’

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is taking the step of rescinding the medals on the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

April 15 (Bloomberg) -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will
rescind a special medal announced in February for operators of
unmanned drones, instead establishing a “distinguishing
device” to be affixed to existing medals, according to a
Pentagon statement.

Hagel’s predecessor, Leon Panetta, established the
Distinguished Warfare Medal to recognize achievements by drone
operators and cyberwarriors. Hagel is taking the step on the
recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“I agree with the Joint Chiefs’ findings and have directed
the creation of a distinguishing device instead of a separate
medal,” Hagel said in a statement to be released today.

A Pentagon review ordered by Hagel “confirmed the need to
ensure such recognition,” while finding “that misconceptions
regarding the precedence of the award were distracting from its
original purpose,” according to the statement.

The new device “can be affixed to existing medals to
recognize such extraordinary actions of this small number of men
and women,” Hagel said.

The Pentagon created the medal to recognize the changing
nature of 21st century warfare, in which unmanned aircraft and
cyberwarfare are playing increasing roles. The Defense
Department said it wanted to honor troops with special training
and skills that “directly and precisely impact military
operations at times far removed from the battlefield,”
according to a Pentagon statement in February.

Ranking Medals

Establishment of the Distinguished Warfare Medal set off
protests from lawmakers and veterans’ groups. Leaders of the
Senate Armed Services Committee said the medal shouldn’t rank
higher than those for action on the battlefield, such as the
Bronze Star for heroism and Purple Heart.

Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, received
two Purple Hearts for being wounded during service as an Army
sergeant in Vietnam.

Hagel directed officials to present him with final award
criteria for his approval within 90 days.

“The servicemen and women who operate and support our
remotely piloted aircraft” are “critical to our military’s
mission of safeguarding the nation,” Hagel wrote.

“We’ll have to see what they come up with, but it sounds
like traditional valor awards might still be used for
recognizing drone operators; the only distinction is there’s a
device,” said Representative Duncan Hunter, a California
Republican and former Marine who has opposed the original
medal’s rank in the hierarchy of military decorations.

“The concern with the DWM was its precedence, not
necessarily the medal itself,” Hunter said in an e-mailed
statement. “Right now, I can’t say this addresses my concerns
about preserving the integrity and tradition of the awards
process.”